Southern Metropolis Of Trizen

June 12.

The vacation period arrived, and Ian put his work aside for a while and left for his holiday. As he had said before, the destination was an island set out at sea.

Of course, it was not an island far from the mainland, but one close enough to be considered attached to it. In truth, it was an island owned by the royal family.

In the past, members of the royal family often came here to enjoy their vacations, but after Ian ascended the throne, no one came anymore, and it had been left almost abandoned until now.

So much had happened that it had gone unused, but Ian had already stated he would use it as a holiday retreat, so the villa on the island had been fully repaired, and they had even investigated in advance whether there were any unsavory intruders on the island and thoroughly cleared them out.

Meanwhile, around this island—called “Rubinyu”—three cruisers were stationed, and as many as fourteen destroyers were circling the island on patrol duty. Even inside the island, around eight hundred royal guards had been deployed throughout, standing watch.

Stepping onto the island, Ian and his family were able to feel freedom for the first time in a while. Of course, the temperature was stifling due to abnormal weather, but the trees provided shade, creating an environment that was tolerable enough.

‘Maybe because I made it rain briefly before coming, the breeze is quite pleasant.’

“Your Majesty Mother, how is it?”

“It is truly wonderful to come outside like this again.”

“Brother, just thinking about playing in the water at the beach for the first time in a while makes me so happy. Isn’t it? Your Majesty the Queen.”

“It is. I think it has been a long time for me as well.”

Of course, there was a beach even in the capital, Pullea. But as the saying went, people did not seek what was close at hand. And unlike there, this place had almost no one around—so just thinking they could enjoy the water without worry made everyone’s mood brighten. Watching his family, Ian spoke.

“This time too, let’s grill samgyeopsal and have fun.”

“Samgyeopsal? Of course, samgyeopsal is the thing to eat when you come somewhere like this!”

His younger sister, Charlotte, seemed to remember the taste of samgyeopsal they had eaten on a previous vacation and looked delighted. Seeing that, Ian thought, Is it really that great?—and he noticed Armin standing off to the side with an awkward smile.

That was right. Armin had come along on this holiday too. He had originally tried not to come, but since his relationship with his sister had already been acknowledged and he was effectively becoming family, Ian persuaded(?) him to come along.

“Armin, say something too. Why are you just standing there?”

“Me? Ah, yes, I’m really glad to be here too. Haha.”

“What is that awkward laugh?”

“Brother, please don’t tease Brother Armin.”

“When did I ever tease him? He just looks awkward, that’s all.”

“I-I’m fine.”

“Wow, already looking after your man first. You’ve really grown up, huh?”

“I’m already grown up.”

“Charlotte, you’re still young. And for the record, I still can’t let the two of you share the same room.”

“B-Brother, why would you say something like that!”

Charlotte shouted, her face completely red. Beside her, Armin looked flustered—and his face turned red too—as he tried to calm things down. Their mother watched with a smile, while Adrina looked on as if she were envious.

Since it was essentially a contract marriage, she could not help feeling a little like an outsider to this family. Ian glanced at her, then clapped his hands—smack!—and spoke.

“Alright, alright. Let’s head to the villa first.”

He said that to his mother and guided her, and as everyone began to move, they soon saw the villa beautifully situated near the shore. It truly looked like it belonged on a beach.

The building, a blend of blue and white, had three floors, and the entire first floor was made of doors that could be thrown wide open for parties. The sheer white curtains fluttering there made it feel unmistakably like a holiday retreat.

We settled in, and soon after, having changed into more comfortable clothes, we gathered again. While the women still needed more time to get ready, Ian and Armin came down first and took their seats. Seeing Armin keep watching Ian’s face, Ian lightly patted his shoulder and spoke.

“Are you going to keep watching for cues like that?”

“When have I ever watched for cues? I wasn’t watching for cues.”

“It’s obvious you are, and you’re still lying.”

“Yes… honestly, even when I think I’m not, I can’t help but do it.”

“Things have been pretty hard lately, right?”

“Of course they have. But I think I have to endure it. It’s the path I chose.”

By now, it was widely known that Armin was dating Princess Charlotte. Because of that, rumors had spread out of control, and many people were displeased. It was not because of the age difference, but because of jealousy—jealousy that they themselves could not secure a marriage alliance with the royal family.

“How’s work these days?”

“Same as always. I design ships in the lab, and if there’s new technology, I apply it and submit my report.”

“You still haven’t given up on designing battleships?”

“I haven’t given up. I work on it now and then. I heard you said you’d definitely build one every five years, didn’t you?”

“That’s right.”

“Could I participate too?”

“In building battleships?”

“Yes. I want to participate. Of course, I want to do it fairly—by proving my ability.”

“That’s only natural. No matter that you’re dating my sister, it’s not something I can let you join easily.”

“I feel much more at ease when things are fair. I don’t think my skills are inferior to anyone else’s.”

He spoke with brimming confidence, and that was because he truly had genius-level talent in ship design. With the experience he had already accumulated, he could be sure of himself. Ian still could not understand why Armin kept insisting on battleships instead of investing all that effort into aircraft carriers.

“Why not focus on cruiser design instead?”

“Cruisers?”

“Anti-air cruisers, specifically. I’m thinking of building them in earnest, as escort ships to protect our aircraft carriers.”

“If you’re planning to focus on building cruisers—anti-air cruisers at that—then you’re saying this with fighters in mind, aren’t you?”

“That’s right. If fighter performance improves further, we’ll need to increase both the power and the number of anti-air batteries to bring them down.”

“So you’re saying you need a cruiser specialized in shooting down fighters?”

“Interested?”

“Whether I’m interested or not, if Your Highness is interested, I’ll design one.”

“If you don’t want to, you don’t have to. I can assign it to another designer.”

“No. Aircraft carriers too—if it’s something I can do, I want to do it.”

“Then I’m grateful. In any case, if you do that for me, I’ll let you take part in battleship construction as well. But you’ll have to properly prove your skills.”

“Really!?”

“As expected, battleships are what you’re most interested in.”

“Haha, I guess so. It’s probably because my dream is to design battleships.”

His smile showed that the childish fascination he had held for battleships still remained. Seeing that, Ian felt that one day, that fantasy would surely be shattered—though before that, he wanted to at least let him dream.

“Wouldn’t that be too heavy a workload, if you’re involved with battleships too?”

“I’m fine. I can do it!”

“If you say so. But if you neglect my sister in the middle of it, you know what happens, right?”

“O-Of course. I’ll treat her well. I won’t ever let her feel hurt.”

He waved both hands as if to swear he would never neglect her, and Ian believed he would do well. Just then, as Ian wondered when they were coming down, footsteps sounded on the stairs. When he turned his head, he had to feel his mind go blank.

There was Adrina, sweeping her platinum-blond hair behind her ear as she descended the stairs. She wore a light, flowing dress. Somehow, it felt as though a goddess had descended to earth.

‘Me, looking at a woman and thinking “goddess.” I must be getting properly put to use—no matter what I’m used for.’

“Your Highness, you need to react quickly.”

Only after hearing Armin’s urging tone, as if nudging him from the side, did Ian realize he had been staring like a fool. He snapped back to his senses and spoke.

“You look even more beautiful today.”

“Really? Thank you. It’s an outfit I prepared to wear here. Is it pretty?”

She beamed as she thanked him, then turned in a full circle as if asking. Ian nodded without thinking. Beside him, Armin also nodded before realizing it. Charlotte narrowed her eyes at the sight, and Armin hurriedly spoke in what sounded like a desperate attempt to explain himself.

“Wow, Princess Charlotte is truly beautiful too. It’s like a goddess has descended to earth.”

“A goddess? I’m not quite that much… but it’s nice to hear.”

“Not at all! You’re so beautiful it’s like a goddess truly descended from the heavens!”

“Thank you for saying that, Brother Armin.”

Seeing Armin say to Charlotte the very words Ian had meant for Adrina, Ian could not help thinking he had no idea what else he was supposed to say now. Before he could dwell on it, their mother appeared coming down the stairs after them.

She wore a dress as well—something she did not usually wear—and she still carried the beauty of her earlier years. Because it was such an unfamiliar outfit for her, she gave an awkward smile and asked if she looked all right.

“It has been so long since I wore something like this. How is it—do I look fine?”

“Of course. I wish you would dress like that even in the palace.”

“There is royal decorum—how could I dress like this in the palace?”

“If it’s comfortable for you, you can do it. Who would dare say anything?”

“Even so, I think what must be observed should be observed.”

It seemed their mother had no intention of violating royal decorum. There was no need to force it, so Ian simply held onto the hope that someday she would forget such rules and live freely. And now that all three women had come down to the first floor, Ian spoke of the next plan.

“Then, shall we go out to the beach now?”

“The sunlight is so strong. I wonder if it will be all right.”

“Don’t worry about that. I already told them to put up a canopy.”

On the beach, the attendants who had come along would have already set up a canopy and prepared various items so they could enjoy the water. And Ian was also quietly drawing clouds in. It did not have to be storm clouds—he could control ordinary clouds too, enough to shade them from the sun.

“Oh? It got shady. Did clouds roll in?”

As the bright outdoors became shaded by clouds, everyone stepped outside and looked up at the sky. Soon, they could see many clouds gathering overhead. Their mother smiled and spoke.

“It seems even the gods are helping us. If it stays like this, we needn’t worry about the sun.”

“Right? Let’s go out quickly.”

“Your Majesty the Queen Mother, even if it’s shady now, we don’t know when the sun will blaze again, so please wear this hat before you go out.”

“Ah, thank you.”

Chatting among ourselves, we went outside and continued on with our schedule to properly enjoy the water. Beneath a sky filled with white clouds, an emerald sea so clear its depths showed through greeted us.

Though we called it “playing in the water,” with royal guards and attendants watching, it was not something the royal family could do—splashing about would not suit their dignity. So we did no more than dip our feet into the sea.

Thus they spent the first day’s itinerary, and they were able to enjoy the time of a true vacation. But while Ian and his family were spending such moments, elsewhere there were people facing a completely unexpected situation.

Trizen, the southern metropolis of the Polia Kingdom.

With a population of 1.3 million, this city ranked among the top cities even within the Polia Kingdom. Since there were many mines nearby, it had many steel mills—large and small—and in the past, it had been the place that produced the most iron.

That former glory had faded, but even now it accounted for 25% of the kingdom’s steel production, which made it one of the cities the Polia Kingdom considered important. And on the outskirts of this city, a huge explosion was erupting.

Kwaaang—!

With a tremendous blast, an entire building collapsed into rubble. Many residents of the outer district were startled and fled in panic. Through the thick cloud of dust, the figure that emerged was none other than Camyu.

He held his sword upright and quickly retreated. Then, cutting through the swirling dust, something came into view—a monster in a form no one could have expected. How was one even supposed to describe it? It resembled an ogre at a glance, yet it looked nothing like the records.

It stood well over five meters tall, with a muscular body and no fewer than four arms. And with its skin an unnaturally pale white, it brought certain kinds of beings to mind.

The creature landed and immediately charged forward again—and as a fist flew toward him, Camyu dodged lightly and swung his blade, aura flaring along the edge.

Shraaa—!

A split opened in its skin. But in the next instant, the torn white flesh knit itself back together, healing as if it were being stitched closed. The recovery was unnervingly fast.